Micro-location refers to identifying the location of objects within the radius of approximately a meter, usually in indoor environments. Micro-location is often associated with specialized micro-location initiators, receivers or systems (e.g., near field communication (NFC) initiators, beacons systems (e.g., iBeacons), Bluetooth low energy or the like). Zoning refers to a small geographical area around an object of interest. Wireless device clients can receive notifications when they enter zones. Clients can then request for data related to these zones. While GPS can determine a client's geo-location reasonably accurately, GPS may not be very accurate in dense urban areas and indoors.
Location positioning systems based on WiFi signals have been the most popular and widely deployed. A number of algorithms have been used over the years to identify client location using WiFi data, e.g., closest AP, trilateration, triangulation, TDOA, and RF-fingerprinting, to name a few. Of the above-mentioned methods, the RF-fingerprint based algorithm may offer the most granular location tracking. However, implementing RF-fingerprinting can have challenges.
Some challenges of RF-fingerprinting can include a need to collect RF-fingerprints that are current and accurate. Some of the challenges in keeping the RF-fingerprints current and accurate can include: the possibility that RF signal strength may vary widely at a moment's notice, causing unreliability in measurements. Also, RF environments may change over weeks and months, so an RF fingerprint taken on a given day may not be valid for that location in the future. Further, calibration of RF-fingerprinting can be a labor intensive, repetitious and expensive process.
The challenges associated with WiFi based micro-location may have prompted the development of alternate solutions (e.g., iBeacons, NFC, Bluetooth low energy and the like). These alternate solutions include custom built devices to offer micro-location. However, support for these technologies (e.g., iBeacons, NFC, Bluetooth low energy and the like) on end user wireless devices is not ubiquitous. Each technology is pushed by different vendors or forums. Only a set of client devices may support one or more of the above technologies. If a customer deploys one of the above technologies, the location features may be available only to a subset of the total target users.
Embodiments were conceived in light of the above mentioned needs, problems and/or limitations, among other things.